Through It All
by Bonded
Summary: Sonic and Tails. More than just best friends.     This is my first story. It's a combination of a lot of the universes. This story is obviously SonTails, Sonic x Tails.
1. Breaking the Silence

**Through It All**

** Breaking the Silence  
**

Robotnick wasn't gone, but he was out of sight. From what the Freedom Fighters could tell, Robotnick abandoned Robotropolis and was currently taking up residence somewhere unknown to them. He hadn't been seen or heard from in a little over a year. As nice as this may sound, it didn't bode well with a few of the inhabitants of Knothole. Namely Sonic the Hedgehog.

Knothole was beginning to prosper, and every day crews from many different villages were sent to Robotropolis for clean up. Clean up; excruciatingly hard work that would take years to complete. However, it needed to be done. Turning Robotropolis back into Mobotropolis would be a huge victory for the Freedom Fighters.

Sonic accompanied clean up crews to and from Robotropolis. He was there for protection, but jetting around in an abandoned city was nowhere near as dangerous as what he had been used to in the past. Tails accompanied Sonic to Robotropolis on occasion to make sure all SWAT Bots were still deactivated. All of this was just precaution. In the past nine months, nothing major had happened in Robotropolis. Sonic was beginning to become accustomed to this new lifestyle...accustomed, but not particularly happy. Something was still missing.

* * *

Charles gently laid his hand upon the sleeping foxes shoulder.

"Tails...", he spoke softly, "...Tails...wake up."

Tails reluctantly opened his eyes as he lifted his head from the desk he had fallen asleep on. Squinting at the blue computer screen in front of him, he realized he had fallen asleep on the job.

"I'm sorry Uncle Chuck...", Tails began to apologize only to be interrupted by a yawn, "I guess I fell asleep while I was typing up some notes."

Charles released his metallic hand from Tails' shoulder. "Go on home Tails. Get some rest. You spend too much time here with me anyway." Charles reached over and turned off the computer.

Tails had been apprentice to Uncle Chuck for quite some time now. He enjoyed working with and learning from the elder hedgehog. Uncle Chuck was indeed very intelligent. A few years back, Rotor and Charles began brainstorming about opening up an institution of higher learning for the inhabitants of Knothole. Acorn University was constructed, and Rotor was appointed as the Dean. Charles took charge of the Department of Science, and this was when Tails was taken as his apprentice.

Tails spun his chair around and watched as Uncle Chuck began his routine of shutting down the lab for the night. "Uh, right. I guess...I'll see you tomorrow then." , Tails said as he removed his lab coat and placed it on it's hook.

"Take the day off Tails. You could use a long weekend.", Charles replied.

"The day off? But I-"

"You really ought to be getting more sleep than you do. Tails, there's not much more I can teach you. Pretty soon you'll be the one doing the teaching around here. You need to know how to limit yourself or you'll work yourself to death.", Charles cautioned.

Tails backed down, "I understand...see you on Monday then?"

"Monday.", Charles smiled.

Tails shut the lab door behind him and headed for home. His arms crossed in a feeble attempt to keep himself warm on this chilly October evening. His mind began to wander.

'_I suppose he is right...I have been spending an awful lot of time in the lab. It's just...it keeps my mind off of things. Things I'd rather not think about._'

Tails was walking home slower than usual tonight. In fact, given any other night he would have just flown home. He had so much on his mind and trying to sort everything out was a lot easier when you were walking. His mind immediately turned to Sonic. It had been three weeks since he had spoken to or even seen the blue hedgehog. Since Tails had taken apprenticeship under Uncle Chuck, he hadn't seen as much of Sonic as he used to. However, Tails had never gone t his long without speaking to his best friend.

'Did I do something wrong?', Tails wondered as he continued towards home, '...oh come on...he's probably just busy in Robotropolis.'

* * *

Sonic dragged his feet as he neared his house. It had been one long and boring day in Robotropolis. He didn't know how much longer he could go on like this.

"Man, today was boring...", Sonic sighed, "...just like every other day around here I guess..."

Sonic stretched his legs as he came to stop in front of his home.

_ 'I wonder what Tails has been up to lately...I haven't seen him in a while._'  
'_That's cuz you're avoiding him!_', Sonic argued with himself mentally.  
_ 'It's for the best right? If I hang around him too much...I mean I don't know if I can... I just don't want to lose my best friend..._'  
Sonic sighed. "I guess...if I keep this up...it'll end up that way anyway..."

Sonic was interrupted from his internal argument by a thin figure walking his way. Orange fur, large fuzzy ears, and two completely adorable tails in his wake. Sonic quickly gathered his composure.

"Hey Tails!", Sonic called in a completely buoyant tone.

That voice. The call of his name. Tails' heart had just done a somersault. It had been a three weeks since he had last spoken with Sonic. Three very long weeks. Sonic was barely around Knothole these days and Tails had been thinking about Sonic often during Sonic's unexplained absence. He wondered if Sonic had thought about him too.

"H-Hey Sonic.", Tails smiled as he waved, "It's really good to see you!"

Tails stopped a few feet from Sonic. There was an awkward silence.

"It's...It's been a while huh?", Tails questioned...staring at his feet.

"Uh, Y-yeah. A little bit huh? I just...", Sonic began to nervously rub his left shoulder, "...been busy. Sorry about that...I should have dropped by."

Tails nodded.

Sonic felt like a complete asshole. How could he think avoiding his best friend would be the best remedy to the situation. Sonic had felt like crap these last three weeks and it was precisely because he hadn't spoken to Tails during that time.

'_There's no easy answer to this..._', Sonic thought, '_...I can't avoid my best friend. I need him in my life no matter what. I gotta make it up to him._'

"Tell ya what Tails!", Sonic smiled, "Let's do something this weekend. Just you and me!"

Tails lit up, "Really?"

Sonic walked over and put his arm around Tails shoulder. "Absolutely! I'm not heading back to Robo-Town until next week. I've got lots of time!"

Tails was thankful it was so dark outside. He hoped this would help conceal the blush forming on his cheeks.

"Great!", Tails exclaimed as he took a few steps in the direction of his home, "I guess...I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Come on over any time Tails.", Sonic smiled, "...Uh, you know...anytime after noon that is."

Tails laughed, "Yeah yeah, lazy hedgehog."

Sonic smirked, turned, and made his way through the front door.

Tails was all smiles as he continued on a few blocks down the street. Finally home, he made his way to his bedroom, quickly took off his gloves and shoes, and plopped down on his bed.

'_Tomorrow...just Sonic and me..._', Tails smiled.

'_Could this mean...he really did miss me as much as I missed him?_'

Tails shifted to his side and his face became stoic.

'_He's the hero of Mobius Tails. You're reading too much into this. You always have..._'

"Still...", Tails said aloud to himself, "...I want to be with him. Even if it's only as his best friend. I'll always stay by his side."

Tails reached for the lamp next to his bed. He shut off the light and tucked himself underneath the sheets. Tomorrow would be a great day.


	2. A Day Out

**Through It All**

**A Day Out**

Tails had been up most of the night anticipating his weekend with Sonic. That same anticipation had woken him up at 5:00 in the morning. Tails was an "early bird", but he rarely woke up before the sun did.

"_Ugh...Sonic won't be up for hours...", _Tails thought to himself as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, _"...well, I guess I'll get ready." _Tails' bare feet met the wooden flooring as he slid off of his bed. "If I knew what was good for me, I'd go back to bed.", Tails smiled as he made his way to the bathroom for a quick shower. "But I'm just too excited to go back to bed!"

* * *

Sonic groaned as his eyes slowly began to open. He felt disgusting, sticky...and wet? It was then that he realized he was covered in sweat. "Oh man...", grumbled the hedgehog. Sonic crawled out of his bed and began to remove the sweat stained sheets. _"That was...some dream..."_, he mused as a slight blush crossed his cheeks. Sonic tossed the soiled sheets in the corner where they landed upon a wooden stool. _"I'll get to that later. Right now I need to take care of this.", _he thought as he ran his fingers over his matted quills.

As Sonic made his way to the shower, his brain finally began to catch up to the rest of his body. He stopped abruptly as he finally remembered that today he was supposed to meet up with Tails. He smiled, but that quickly faded. _"Figures I would have a dream about him last night."_ Feeling guilty, Sonic continued on with his morning routine.

* * *

"_I wonder what we'll do today._" Tails smiled as he walked towards Sonic's home. The homes along the way had been, for the most part, upgraded from the small fragile huts they used to be. Now, instead, stood much sturdier structures made of brick, stone, and cement. The village had a more reliable source of electricity as well. Many things had changed and Knothole was prospering.

Tails arrived at Sonic's door. With a deep breath, he gave a quick knock. It wasn't long before that familiar blue face answered his call.

"Hey Tails! You ready to head out?" Sonic handed Tails a fishing rod.

"Fishing?" Tails had not been fishing with Sonic in a long time. This was something they had done on a regular basis. Tails welcomed the opportunity to spend some quiet, contented time with Sonic.

"Great!", Tails said as he took the pole.

Sonic smiled. "I figured we would head out to the usual spot along the Great River. What do you think?"

"Sounds perfect." Tails rested the fishing pole on his shoulder.

"I'm gonna make this fast. Keep up Tails!" Sonic grinned and dashed off.

Tails chuckled and took flight, trailing after the hedgehog. "I always do.", he replied, but Sonic was already gone. 

* * *

Here they were in their "usual spot" while fishing in the Great River. It was located slightly north of Knothole underneath one of the wooden bridges the villagers had built years ago. To the right stood a large oak tree which aided the bridge in providing them shade.

Having cast their lines, Sonic and Tails both settled down onto the dirt floor underneath the bridge. There was an awkward silence. As much as they both had anticipated this, neither one was quite sure what to say or do. Sonic felt guilty for choosing such a stupid solution to his so called "problem" and Tails felt rejected and pushed away by his best friend. Sonic knew it was his responsibility to break the silence. After all, this was all his fault. "_Why is this so difficult?_", Sonic thought.

Sonic took a deep breath and stared at his feet. "Tails, I'm so-", he began but he was cut off.

"You don't have to apologize again Sonic.", Tails smiled as he looked out towards the Great River. Sonic's eyes widened. He turned his head to Tails who had now turned to face him as well.

"It's O.K. I understand. You've already told me you were busy in Robotropolis. You're back now, so let's not waste our time together.", Tails said with a smile.

Sonic knew his best friend had a heart of gold, but Tails could still humble him with his benevolent nature. Tails would accept his apology just like that? No questions asked? Sonic knew he had been a completely crappy friend the past few weeks, but Tails welcomed him back without a single snide remark.

Sonic's somber face dissipated. "Right.", he agreed cheerfully. "Let's not waste our time. And hey, if we catch something, there's dinner!"

"Sounds great.", Tails chuckled.

Time had passed quickly and the sun was beginning to set. It was just like old times again. They had spent the hours just talking. Neither had a bite or even a nibble on their lines, but it didn't seem to matter. Both were too engrossed in their conversation with one another. They had both moved back just under the oak tree where there was a patch of grass. Here they were relaxing while occasionally checking their lines for a bite.

"Amy has always fawned over you Sonic."

"Well, I wish she'd stop already!"

"Well, you haven't exactly told her "No".", Tails replied.

"Yeah well...I'm not sure what will happen if I do tell her no. Amy is a nice girl. I'm just...not interested in her. She doesn't seem to pick up on the hints either."

Tails was smiling on the inside. He was happy to hear Sonic say that he wasn't interested in Amy. He had known this, but it still felt good to hear.

"Remember when we went to Station Square to pick something up for Unc? We planned to stick around afterwards and check out Twinkle Park.", Sonic grinned.

Tails laughed, "Oh yeah, I remember. But we didn't make it to Twinkle Park."

"Yeah, but that wasn't my fault!"

"Well, it wasn't my fault either!"

"Let's just say it was Amy's fault shall we?", Sonic grinned. "It's not your fault Amy was well aware of your _weak spot_."

"It's not a weak spot! Everyone is a little bit ticklish.", Tails huffed., "She saw me holding the tickets to Twinkle Park. She was determined to get them from me so SHE could go with you to the amusement park."

"Yeah, but we ended up losing the tickets anyway, so none of us ended up going. Oh poor ticklish Tails. You did end up letting go of those tickets, but the wind took them before Amy could.", Sonic teased.

Tails sat up and folded his arms defensively. "You're making it sound worse than it really was. I'm not THAT ticklish."

Sonic sat up slowly. "Oh really Tails?". A devilish smile crossed Sonic's muzzle. "You're not THAT ticklish?"

"Sonic...what are y-" Before Tails could finish his question Sonic was on top of him pinning his arms to the ground.

"I say you are THAT ticklish!" Tails tried to reply but his words were cut short as Sonic assaulted his sides. Tails burst out laughing. Sonic knew he was ticklish. Why did Tails even attempt to argue with him otherwise? Sonic chuckled as Tails tried relentlessly to stop the tickling. Tails was pushing and hitting his friend amid laughing and enjoying the contact. Sonic determined Tails had learned his lesson and regained control of Tails' arms once again.

"Ok now Tails. I've stopped.", Sonic smirked. "No need to fight it anymore."

"You're a jerk Sonic.", Tails smiled.

Then it happened, that awkward moment when both boys realized that they were in quite an interesting position. Sonic was straddling Tails with his arms pinned on either side of his head. What seemed like hours was merely seconds as they stared at each other wondering what the other was thinking at that very moment.

"_I should just do it. I want to. Should I?_", Sonic struggled with himself.

"_Oh God. Think unsexy thoughts._", Tails reminded himself over and over again.

"That's it. I'm going to do it.", Sonic ascertained, "I'm definitely gon-"

Sonic and Tails both turned their heads towards the water as they heard a huge splash. A fish had jumped out of the water, apparently struggling against Sonic's hook. Sonic dashed to grab his fishing pole before it was dragged into the water by the large fish.

"Got ya!", Sonic declared as he grabbed the fishing pole. However, he wasn't ready for the fight the fish was about to put up. Sonic stumbled forward as the fish struggled to stay in the water. With great force the fish pulled him into the water.

Tails, who had been laying in the same spot the whole time, gasped as he saw Sonic go under. Tails quickly rose to his feet. "_He'll come back up...he'll come back up_.", he thought as he stared at the rippling water where Sonic had gone under. Then the ripples stopped and the water was calm once again.

"No...Sonic!", Tails darted towards the water and dove right in. Sonic was down here somewhere and he was determined to find and rescue him.

"_Where are you Sonic. Please. Come on...where are you..._", Tails swam desperately, looking frantically for his friend. Just as he was about to go back up for air, Tails spotted Sonic. "_Sonic! No time for air. I can do this. Save Sonic first. I might not find him again if I go back up._" Sonic looked flaccid. Tails knew he had to get to him quickly. He swam as fast as he could, grabbed Sonic under the arms and quickly pulled him back to the surface. As Tails broke the surface of the water he gasped and drew in a deep breath of air. Sonic coughed uncontrollably for a few minutes as Tails brought them both back to the shore.

Sonic was on his hands and knees breathing heavily, "Thanks buddy..."

Tails sat down next to Sonic. "I'm just glad you're ok and-", Tails looked down and noticed Sonic was still holding the fishing pole complete with fish attached to the hook., "...You were holding it the whole time? Why didn't you let go of the fishing pole?"

Sonic sat up and gave a small smile. "Well look, he finally gave up. He must have known who he was up against."

Tails grew angry. "Sonic, you nearly drowned!"

Sonic quickly replied, "I knew you wouldn't let that happen."

Tails' anger faded quickly at those words. To be trusted with something as precious as Sonic's own life was an incredible feeling. "_He has so much confidence in me...too much sometimes..._" Tails was extremely flattered, but still annoyed.

"Sonic, you really are an idiot."

"Yeah, I suppose so...but hey! I've got dinner!", Sonic declared as he held up the giant fish. Both boys gave a chuckle and began their trek back to Sonic's home.


End file.
